A landlord on Wednesday 16th September, doused the room of one of his tenants with petrol and set it on fire, burning her to death over nonpayment of rent balance of eleven thousand naira.
The incident took place at No 9, Ansa Ewa Street, Cobham Town in the Bayside area, Calabar, Cross Rivers State, when the landlord identified as David Ntiero Okon doused the one room apartment of Mrs Mary Samuel with petrol and ignited fire that burnt her to death.
According to a tenant in the compound, Obongette, who is a security man by profession, the victim had lived in the house for over seven years.
Obongette said that the lady owed the landlord eleven thousand naira due to the downturn in her fish business caused by incessant attacks by militants in the Calabar Water Channel.
“The woman is a fish seller and on Wednesday morning she went to buy fish at Oron in Akwa Ibom State and when she came back that evening the landlord asked her to pay the balance of her annual rent but she said she did not have any money but should be allowed to sell her fish the next day so she could raise money to pay the rent”.
Obongette said that the landlord became infuriated by the woman’s appeal and started accusing her of refusing to pay him the rent and when the woman went to the bath room to take her bath, the landlord poured fuel in the room and as she stepped into the room after bathing, the man ignited fire which engulfed the place.
“As the woman shouted and tried to escape but the man locked the door and when people came to rescue her, he brought out a machete and chased them away threatening to kill anyone who dared to rescue the burning lady”.
Obongette said that after the woman had died, residents in the area mobilised and took the corpse of the woman to the landlord’s apartment and laid it there till the following day.
“Police came yesterday (Thursday) afternoon and carried the body and also arrested the man because we ensured that he did not escape or do any other thing. The house was built by his late father and he chased away all his siblings from the house and took over the house”.
According to the Cross Rivers Police Spokesperson, DSP Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident, the landlord has been arrested and he is in police custody while the corpse of the deceased has been deposited in the mortuary.
She added that investigations are going on to unravel what really happened.
